Introduction: Assemble an Arrow Brand Brentwood Metal Shed - Part I
The Brentwood 4x5 metal shed from Arrow Industries is easy to assemble and provides a very convenient outdoor storage area or workshop. This is broken up into two parts, Part I has all the preliminary information and all the steps which the manufacturer says can be done by one person.
Part II contains the steps which the manufacturer says require two people. The second person doesn't have to do much but they have to be readily available and smart enough to hold sheet metal in place.
The two parts may be done separately but in particular all the steps in Part II should be completed in a single session. This sessio will consume several hours and the party of the second part will need to be handy.
I have no affiliation with any of the manufacturers or products I mention including Arrow. I have one and I am putting it together so I made an instructable...duh...actually this one will be referenced in a future instructable regarding how to do science at home. But I digress.
I'm sure there are many, many, many other fine products out there which offer features equal or superior to those offered by the Brentwood shed.
As may be the Arrow brand shed, specifically the 4x5 foot Brentwood is where we are and so I suppose we shall begin.
Part II contains the steps which the manufacturer says require two people. The second person doesn't have to do much but they have to be readily available and smart enough to hold sheet metal in place.
The two parts may be done separately but in particular all the steps in Part II should be completed in a single session. This sessio will consume several hours and the party of the second part will need to be handy.
I have no affiliation with any of the manufacturers or products I mention including Arrow. I have one and I am putting it together so I made an instructable...duh...actually this one will be referenced in a future instructable regarding how to do science at home. But I digress.
I'm sure there are many, many, many other fine products out there which offer features equal or superior to those offered by the Brentwood shed.
As may be the Arrow brand shed, specifically the 4x5 foot Brentwood is where we are and so I suppose we shall begin.
Attachments
Step 1: Planning Ahead
There isn't really a bill of materials per se. You're going to need an Arrow brand Brentwood model 4x5 shed for this to be really useful.
I got mine at Home Depot. I had to order it and it took a couple of weeks to arrive. The package is very manageable and didn't seem particularly heavy although it was bulky. The entire container was approximately 33x72x4 and fit comfortably in the back of my light pickup. I managed to get it from the truck to the back porch but it wouldn't have hurt to have gotten a hand.
I chose the Brentwood primarily for size considerations as it would fit comfortably on my existing patio. Consequently I did not have to prepare a level site. If you're planning on placing this on open ground or pouring a new pad you'll need to have that in place before starting assembly of the shed.
The majority of the connections in the Brentwood are made with self-threading sheet metal screws. This is a good excuse to get yourself a cheap powered screw driver. Check out the Big Lots site, they have a line of inexpensive power tools for the casual user. I didn't get my driver from there but I have gotten some other useful things like a $50 drill press and $20 'Dremel' knockoff.
I got mine at Home Depot. I had to order it and it took a couple of weeks to arrive. The package is very manageable and didn't seem particularly heavy although it was bulky. The entire container was approximately 33x72x4 and fit comfortably in the back of my light pickup. I managed to get it from the truck to the back porch but it wouldn't have hurt to have gotten a hand.
I chose the Brentwood primarily for size considerations as it would fit comfortably on my existing patio. Consequently I did not have to prepare a level site. If you're planning on placing this on open ground or pouring a new pad you'll need to have that in place before starting assembly of the shed.
The majority of the connections in the Brentwood are made with self-threading sheet metal screws. This is a good excuse to get yourself a cheap powered screw driver. Check out the Big Lots site, they have a line of inexpensive power tools for the casual user. I didn't get my driver from there but I have gotten some other useful things like a $50 drill press and $20 'Dremel' knockoff.
Step 2: Getting Started - RTFM!
This instructable is not a replacement for reading, understanding and following the directions in the assembly instructions provided with your shed. It is designed to supplement those instructions with a more generalized process that will help people who buy one assemble it.
Okay, the first thing you will notice is that on the face of the box there is a small rectangular box that says 'cut here first, hardware and instruction manual behind this' or something similar. It isn't. Its fallen to the bottom of the box.
Using a box cutter or other means cut carefully, carefully along the dotted line around the edge. There are 3 and when you are done you will notice that the box opens up like, well, a box.
DO NOT hastily pull out the pieces and line them up. They are well packaged and can be taken out of the box in an orderly fashion. Check out the picture of the open box to where the materials for steps one and two are. Located in the front will be a plastic bag containing instruction manuals and hardware. Open this bag and remove the hardware bag and instructions.
The instructions are packaged in 3 separate manuals (picture). If you pick the eEglish one this instructable might be more helpful than say, German.
Read the instruction manual completely. You can gloss over the order forms and accessory packages but read the instructions thoroughly and make sure you understand them.
Read the safety precautions and follow them. Particularly regarding gloves and careful handling of cut sheet metal. The edges can be sharp and it is possible to get cut or seriously injured.
Okay, the first thing you will notice is that on the face of the box there is a small rectangular box that says 'cut here first, hardware and instruction manual behind this' or something similar. It isn't. Its fallen to the bottom of the box.
Using a box cutter or other means cut carefully, carefully along the dotted line around the edge. There are 3 and when you are done you will notice that the box opens up like, well, a box.
DO NOT hastily pull out the pieces and line them up. They are well packaged and can be taken out of the box in an orderly fashion. Check out the picture of the open box to where the materials for steps one and two are. Located in the front will be a plastic bag containing instruction manuals and hardware. Open this bag and remove the hardware bag and instructions.
The instructions are packaged in 3 separate manuals (picture). If you pick the eEglish one this instructable might be more helpful than say, German.
Read the instruction manual completely. You can gloss over the order forms and accessory packages but read the instructions thoroughly and make sure you understand them.
Read the safety precautions and follow them. Particularly regarding gloves and careful handling of cut sheet metal. The edges can be sharp and it is possible to get cut or seriously injured.
Step 3: Step One - the Door Track/Header Assembly
Okay now that we've thoroughly familiarized ourselves with the instructions its time for Step One. There should be music somehow...
In step one we assemble the door track header and get it out of the way. This is one of the pieces that can be done without help.
The two pieces youll need are likely located on the right hand side of the box behind the brown paper flap. The pieces in the front of the box are used for the frame in the next step.
Taking out the two pieces (picture) we're going to screw the two pieces together as shown in the picture (see the image notes).
Take out the 8 screws you'll need. As we learned in the image notes of the last step screws the ones with the pointy end.
It is tedious to screw these in by hand. I used an electric screwdriver with an adjustable clutch that made it very convenient.
Once you've gotten the two pieces aligned and screwed together remove the plastic door slides from the hardware bag and slide them over the edges of the lower piece as shown in the primary picture for this step.
Place this assembly aside and now we'll proceed to the next step "Assembling the frame"
Exciting isn't it?
In step one we assemble the door track header and get it out of the way. This is one of the pieces that can be done without help.
The two pieces youll need are likely located on the right hand side of the box behind the brown paper flap. The pieces in the front of the box are used for the frame in the next step.
Taking out the two pieces (picture) we're going to screw the two pieces together as shown in the picture (see the image notes).
Take out the 8 screws you'll need. As we learned in the image notes of the last step screws the ones with the pointy end.
It is tedious to screw these in by hand. I used an electric screwdriver with an adjustable clutch that made it very convenient.
Once you've gotten the two pieces aligned and screwed together remove the plastic door slides from the hardware bag and slide them over the edges of the lower piece as shown in the primary picture for this step.
Place this assembly aside and now we'll proceed to the next step "Assembling the frame"
Exciting isn't it?
Step 4: Step Two - Assembling the Frame
This is the final step designated by the manufacturer as being able to do alone. After this you will need your boon companion nearby to lend a hand as required.
The basic requirements of an assistant are pretty much the same as those required to turn the letters on "Wheel of Fortune".
The foundation parts are located in the front of the shipping container. I could not find a combination where the holes would all line up well. It seems like the best configuration is with the front and back edges both on top and the sides under. I was more expected the four corners to interlock but there you have it.
Do not anchor the frame at this time, there is a lot more work to do and you will need it to be movable.
Now we've completed all the pieces that can be done by yourself. In part two we'll go over the details of the balance of construction but I can assure you it is a two person job. About the only thing left is Step 9 assembling the door. I was going to add it here but then you would have to remove all of the remaining pieces from the box.
So that's it for now. Assembling the balance of the shed is a 4 to 8 hour job (longer if one is making an instructable). The shed is extremely fragile and should not be left partially assembled since it is very susceptible to light winds.
The next possible step to take a break will be after Step 8 in part two. At that point the shed will pretty much assembled and stable.
I hope you enjoy your Brentwood shed, if you have one I would not necessarily wait for Part II to complete assembly.
A note if you proceed, all the screws on the outside and roof need the plastic washers if they are exposed to the elements. The manual was not particularly clear about this and I missed it for some of them.
The basic requirements of an assistant are pretty much the same as those required to turn the letters on "Wheel of Fortune".
The foundation parts are located in the front of the shipping container. I could not find a combination where the holes would all line up well. It seems like the best configuration is with the front and back edges both on top and the sides under. I was more expected the four corners to interlock but there you have it.
Do not anchor the frame at this time, there is a lot more work to do and you will need it to be movable.
Now we've completed all the pieces that can be done by yourself. In part two we'll go over the details of the balance of construction but I can assure you it is a two person job. About the only thing left is Step 9 assembling the door. I was going to add it here but then you would have to remove all of the remaining pieces from the box.
So that's it for now. Assembling the balance of the shed is a 4 to 8 hour job (longer if one is making an instructable). The shed is extremely fragile and should not be left partially assembled since it is very susceptible to light winds.
The next possible step to take a break will be after Step 8 in part two. At that point the shed will pretty much assembled and stable.
I hope you enjoy your Brentwood shed, if you have one I would not necessarily wait for Part II to complete assembly.
A note if you proceed, all the screws on the outside and roof need the plastic washers if they are exposed to the elements. The manual was not particularly clear about this and I missed it for some of them.
